Nothing To History
by Temerice
Summary: When a game suddenly turns into reality, an ordinary girl has to learn how to play with her life. Now she's stuck with a young scrappy fighter who doesn't want to be stuck with her. Will they learn to cooperate or do they end up strangling each other?
1. A Date With The Headsman

Finally I have plucked up enough courage to upload this. Hope you like it! Oh and this is rated T just to be on the safe side. There's going to be blood. Bwahaha.

Disclaimer: Eryka and the must-be-Dragonborn belong to me, everything else belongs to Bethesda.

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><p>The first thing to come to my mind is "Why on Earth have I fallen asleep outside?"<p>

A cold breeze is stroking my hair, obviously trying to prove that I'm not in my own bed. I can see sunlight through my eyelids and hear faint creaks as the whatever thing I am on – a wagon, a pickup truck, a wheelbarrow – keeps slowly going onwards.

I figure that I can't pretend to be asleep forever so I open my eyes. Bad mistake. The sunlight triggers the dull ache whose existence I haven't noticed before in the back of my head. It feels like a little explosion in-between my ears: for a few seconds I can see only white. I groan in pain and struggle to lift my other hand to cover my eyes. Sadly I don't realize my hands are bound together before I accidentally hit myself right at the corner of my right eye.

"Hey, you alright?" says a low voice somewhere on the right. I open my eyes slightly to see a man sitting next to me.

"What... What happened?" I splutter. My throat feels sore and my head is still hurting. I feel like I've been hit with a log and then run over with a two or three trucks. Several times.

"You got quite a slosh." The man looks almost worried. "I was beginning to think that Sovngarde had taken you."

It takes a few seconds before his words sink into my mind. Did he say 'Sovngarde'?

"Where are we?" I ask as calmly as I can. No need to panic, girl. There's a reasonable explanation for this situation. People are sucked into video games only in books. Although it does look really Skyrim-ish here. Lots of trees and snow. If only I could think more clearly. My head feels like it's full of porridge.

The man shrugs. "I'm not really sure, but my guess is that we're quite close to Helgen now. Should be at the border in a day or so. Right?"

"I'm not so sure we're headed for the border, Gunjar", says the woman sitting opposite him, but I barely hear her. I have something else to worry about than whether we're going to Cyrodiil or not. Especially when I know we're not.

Problem number one: I have somehow been transported or moved or whatever into Skyrim. Well, maybe I should be happy that it's my favorite game of all times where I ended up, not my brother's Modern Warfare.

Problem number two: I have obviously a date with the headsman in a moment or so. Everyone else on the wagon are dressed in Stormcloak cuirasses and everyone's hands are bound.

Problem number three: Why am I on the wagon with some random Gunjar and other people I don't recognize? Where are Ralof and that horse thief and Ulfric? Oh my dear god. What if this isn't the day the Dragonborn was taken to Helgen?

Gunjar notices my worried expression. "No need to worry, lassie", he says reassuringly. "Wherever we're going, we'll sure be there soon. Right?" He shouts the last word at the man who's driving the wagon.

The Imperial doesn't even bother to look at us. "Shut up back there!"

"How did I get here?" I ask again. "I mean, I really don't remember meeting any of you..."

Gunjar chuckles mirthlessly. "No wonder. They hit you so hard I was almost sure your skull cracked." He leans back and looks at the cloudless sky. "We were setting up a camp near Darkwater Crossing when you staggered there. You were cold and lost and we let you join us for a bowlful of stew. Then suddenly the Imperials attacked... Like they knew exactly where we were. Jarl Ulfric ordered us to stop fighting... Didn't want any more of us dead, I guess. I saw one of those bastards knock you out with his shield. Then they bound us, put us on this wagon and you know the rest."

With a shield? That would explain the headache. Maybe I have a concussion. I bury my face into my hands and try to clear my mind. Finding the right memories and putting them in the right order seems to harder than it should. After a lot of thinking I can finally remember finding the Stormcloak camp and as I was desperate to see a friendly face, I approached them. I also remember what happened before that. I was about to start a new game and make a new character, a new Dovahkiin, when suddenly my Playstation didn't work when I tried to switch it on. After several attempts my TV screen suddenly turned so white it actually blinded me for a moment. I could see nothing else but bright white light all around me, and the air turned burning hot and then so cold I went numb and then hot and cold and hot...

Okay, that's something my mind doesn't seem to be able to process. Thoughts like "This can't be happening" keep popping into my mind until I have to force myself to think of something else. Finding a way home has to wait, especially with all the war and dragon business... Wait. I can't be the Dragonborn. No no no no. That's not an option. I mean, killing dragons is quite a piece of cake when you're playing the game but I'm sure I could never do that myself. The very thought makes me sick. Now I understand why the other characters in the game are always so terrified about dragons. When you're playing, you know that if you die, you can easily load the previous save but if you really die, like, for real, you don't get a second change. You're _dead_.

If I die now, do I really _die _in a not-being-able-to-go-home-anymore way?

The woman sitting opposite me and Gunjar must have noticed my miserable expression as she suddenly says gently: "Where are you from, dear?"

"I, uh..." I hesitate. What do I say? I can't tell her where I'm really from! "...Bruma. I'm from Bruma."

I cross my fingers and hope that I've remembered the name correctly. The woman nods. "The northest city of Cyrodiil? I hear there's plenty of Nords there. Or at least there was."

The woman falls silent, probably thinking of her own home. I try not to think of mine. Hell, this would be so much easier if I was from a country where everyone spoke English, but no. I'm from Finland and, surprisingly, speak Finnish as my native language. Of course I have studied English at school for about eight or nine years but I'm still not perfect with it, especially when some of these people speak so damn weirdly, not to mention the accent. Oh well. Luckily I'm at least used to cold and snow.

And then we suddenly stop. Gunjar's face falls. "No... I thought..."

"This is it", I hear the woman say sadly as we hop off the wagon one by one. Not until now I notice what I'm wearing: A ragged shirt that's really big for me or a ragged dress that's shamefully short for me. And no shoes. Seriously, no one bothered to give me foot wraps? My toes are freezing.

Somebody might think that I'm shallow. Who complains about not having shoes when they're about to get executed? Well, I'm sure I won't die. I just can't die like this, trapped inside a freaking _video game_. The Dragonborn must be somewhere here. And Alduin has to come and save us both. Dying is not an option. But I'm still so afraid I could scream.

Suddenly I hear a familiar voice. "No, I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" That horse thief from the other wagon takes off, obviously really believing that he can make it away from here. Of course he doesn't. The Imperials react quickly and the thief collapses on the road with several arrows sticking from his back. Even from here I can see bloody stains where the arrows have pierced his skin. I look away.

"And who are you?" It takes me a couple of seconds to realize that the question was pointed to me. Hadvar or whatever his name was is standing right in front of me with a long list in his hand, ready to strike through my name.

Oh dear God, I forgot to think about that! What should I call myself? Think, woman!

"Er... I...", I whisper. Fear has made my voice hoarse.

"Eryka", Hadvar repeats. I'm about to correct him when I realize that 'Eryka' doesn't sound that bad. To be honest, it sounds quite cool. A name for a self-confident strong person. Maybe I could be Eryka in Skyrim. God knows that I could use a self-confident strong alter ego.

"Captain, what should we do with her? She's not on the list either!" Hadvar informs the short woman in full Imperial armor standing next to him.

"Didn't I tell you to forget the list?" the woman barks. "They're all going to the block."

"By your orders, captain", Hadvar sighs. He looks back at me and I think I might see a glint of sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, little one."

Even though I'm still scared, I can't help wondering why he called me 'little one'. I'm nearly 6 feet tall, which is quite a lot for a 18-year-old girl so I'm not exactly someone you'd call 'little one'. Or maybe they call every young person 'little one' here?

I step next to a Stormcloak soldier and see several Imperial soldiers and a priestess who soon begins her speech about 'The Eight Divines' or something – I have never really paid attention to her. A distant roar can be heard from the mountains but nobody seems to care.

"Let's get this over with already!" the Stormcloak next to me groans, stepping forward. "I haven't got all morning!" He strides to the block, kneels down and quickly has his head chopped off.

I wish I could press my hands on my mouth without looking a complete wuss. The smell of the blood is thick and seeing the headless body fall lifelessly to its side makes me want to you're only playing the game, you don't realize how much blood streams from the stump that used to attach the guy's head to his neck. I inhale through my mouth and force myself to stay calm.

"As fearless in death as he was in life", says another familiar voice from my right. I turn my head and notice Ralof standing next to me. Seeing him calms me down a bit: I've always liked him. Then I realize that the Dragonborn must be somewhere near. Very near.

"Next, the Nord in the rags!"

I quickly turn to see a young man, not much older than myself, stepping forward. I have time only to get a glimpse of him but I can see that he has bright blue eyes and short blond 's about two inches taller than I am and even though he's not especially muscular, he looks hardy. A tiny part of my brain remembers that it belongs to a teenage girl and notes that the guy is actually quite good looking. In some other situation I might actually care about that fact.

The must-be-Dragonborn kneels and lays his head on the block. I can see him grimace when the blood from the previous execution sticks on his neck and hair. The headsman lifts his axe. I swallow hard and cross my fingers.

Then Alduin emerges from the mountains and lands on the tower.

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><p>Thank you for reading. If you spotted any mistakes or grammar fails, let me know, I'll gladly fix them.<p>

/: Seriously, a fail with the first chapter? Let's admit it: I suck : D. Thank you, Solava, for letting me know! (How could I have missed that fail...)


	2. Near Death And Back Again

Couldn't wait to upload another chapter : D. Here we go! This one turned out to be shorter than the first chapter but let's not care!

Disclaimer: Both characters you don't recognize are mine, all the rest belongs to Bethesda.

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><p>I don't realize I've fallen down before the ground under me shakes violently. I don't know if it's caused by some collapsing building or Alduin stomping around and I don't really care. All I care about right now is that I need to follow the guy who I assume is the Dragonborn. I get up as fast as I can which is quite hard. Have you ever tried getting up with your hands bound while trying not to get squished by some rocks or flaming fireballs or a dragon?<p>

Thought so.

A big chunk of stone falls right next to me. I jump back and nearly fall down again – I stepped on something. I look down and notice I almost tripped over the headsman's axe. I quickly kneel down and start rubbing my bindings against the blade. It takes some precious seconds before my hands are free. I stagger up and turn around only to see the door of that tower I should be in slam shut. I curse aloud and lean on the tower Alduin first landed on.

I've played the beginning of the game several times so I should know exactly where to go. Focus, girl, you can do this. I spot the half-collapsed inn right next to the tower where Ralof and the must-be-Dragonborn are and sprint towards it.

It's even scarier than I imagined. Everything is on fire, I nearly trip over a body of an Imperial soldier and all the time I can hear the dragon's roars. I run round the inn and spot Hadvar and the old man and the boy whose names I don't remember hiding behind the building. I see Alduin taking off after unsuccessfully trying to fry them and quickly run to them only to be nearly knocked down by a blond man who emerges from the burning inn. I immediately recognize him as the must-be-Dragonborn and feel a huge wave of relief. If I wasn't so scared right now, I could actually laugh aloud.

"Still alive, prisoners? Follow me if you want to stay that way!" Hadvar orders. He doesn't even check if we're following him as he runs past the burning buildings, leaving me and the blond man no other choice but to follow him.

We have to stop once when Alduin nearly sits on us but after that make it smoothly to the Helgen keep, where Ralof seems to pop up out of nowhere to stop Hadvar. After exchanging a few words they ran to different directions, both telling us to follow them. The blond Nord hesitates for a second before dashing after Ralof and I of course follow him.

We slip inside the keep and I exhale deeply. It feels like I've been holding my breath ever since I hopped off that wagon. Ralof has knelt down next to a man's body on the floor. I realize it's Gunjar, the man I sat next to on the wagon, and feel a little sick.

"May we meet in Sovngarde, brother", Ralof mutters before standing up. He frees the blond man's hands with a small dagger. "You can have Gunjar's gear. He won't be needing it anymore."

The blond man looks at me hesitantly. "What about her?"

"You can have it", I say quickly. If I don't have an armor or a weapon, nobody expects me to fight. At least not yet.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine", I assure him. Though I would appreciate some shoes. I'm about to ask him if I could get his foot wraps when I notice that they're coated with mud and blood. I look down to my own feet. There's a thick layer of dirt covering them but at least I haven't stepped on something sharp.

It takes only a couple of minutes for the blond man to strip Gunjar from his armor and put it on. I watch him swing the waraxe a couple of times and am just about to ask his name when Ralof hisses: "Damn it! The Imperials!"

I have about three seconds to retreat to the corner before three Imperial soldiers step in and immediately have Ralof and the blond man all over them. Luckily the battle is over as quickly as it started. Ralof and the other man take out the Imperials while I hide in the corner and try to turn invisible. When the last Imperial has had his throat slashed open, I finally venture closer the bodies and start going through their pockets, avoiding looking at their slashed throats, pierced chests and lifeless eyes.

Ralof gives me a weird look. "What are you doing?"

I shrug. "Who knows, maybe they have money or potions." This has always been the handiest way for me to find money in the game.

I find about fifteen septims and two lockpicks (what are the Imperials doing with them?) and take also a shortsword. After all I do prefer having a weapon I can't use to having no weapon at all.

"You don't want an armor?" Ralof asks when I hand him the key I found in the Imperial officer's pocket. I shake my head. Ralof gives me the "It's-your-funeral" look and unlocks the gate.

"Hey", I say hopefully to the blond man, "what's your name?"

He looks me in the eyes for a few seconds before offering me the slightest smile. "Raegan. Yours?"

"Eryka." The name feels strange in my mouth but I guess I'll just have to get used to it.

"So, Raegan, huh?" I make an attempt to smalltalk as we walk through the gate and get into a narrow corridor. "Not a typical Nord name, is it?"

"Well, I'm actually from Cyrodiil. Do you know Bruma?"

Damn. That blows my story of being from there. "I've heard of it."

"Where are you from, then?"

The collapsing ceiling saves me from answering. The floor shakes violently as huge chunks of what used to be the roof fall right in front of us.

"That was close", I breath out. We continue hurrying through the corridors only to find a torture chamber with two Stormcloaks and two Imperial torturers in the middle of a battle. Ralof and Raegan help to take care of the Imperials while I try to blend in the shadows. Unfortunately the Imperials manage to kill the two Stormcloaks before Ralof and Raegan can cut them down.

Again I check their pockets and find about twenty septims and to my surprise a small ruby. It should keep me fed in case we ever get to Riverwood.

"There's something in that cage", Raegan points out, "but it seems to be locked."

"I have a few lockpicks. You want to try to pick the lock?" Ralof asks. Raegan shakes his head so Ralof gives the lockpicks to me.

I kneel in front of the lock and examine it. I've always played stealthy characters and mastered sneaking and lockpicking first, but I suppose this is a bit harder. After a few broken lockpicks I finally manage to open the door. The poor fellow on the floor has died a good while ago – he has started to smell. I try not to breath through my nose as I carefully strip him off his robe. I can sense the two men's amused looks on me but I try my best not to care. The robe makes my fingertips tingle and it seems to glow slightly in the dim chamber. Is it enchanted?

"Do you mind if I change?" I ask. Ralof seems to mind a little for the delay but neither of them says anything. When I'm sure they are looking at the opposite direction, I quickly undress and put the robe on. Surprisingly it fits me quite well even though the boots are a little too big for me. I also take the few coins and potions laying next to the man and pick up the spell tome. The text on the cover says it's "Sparks". When I open the book, it starts giving me the slightest electric shocks. I don't know if I should be reading the text but I don't actually even have the time: The book crumbles in my hands, leaving only a small pile of dust.

"That was handy", Raegan sneers. I lift my gaze to see him looking at me with an amused smile.

"You're right", I admit. I lift my hands and focus really hard. I can feel it. Tiny sparks fly off of my fingertips as small balls of pure electricity form on my palms. I've never felt this powerful. "Handy as ever."

Raegan's cheeky smile turns to appreciative look. I smile widely at him as I let the electricity fade away. This might actually turn out to be fun.


	3. Annoying

Hullo, my dear people! It took a little longer than I thought to write this chapter but no worries! I don't intend to stop writing this even though it sometimes takes a couple of weeks for me to update. Still, I hope you enjoy my story so far!

Disclaimer: Eryka and Raegan are mine mine mine but everything else? Bethesda's.

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><p>We encounter a few Imperial soldiers in our way but nothing too special. Again Raegan and Ralof take care of the soldiers while I observe them from a safe distance. I have to admit that Raegan is quite a good fighter. He moves swiftly and swings his sword quicker than I ever could, though sometimes it seems that he's a little too sure of himself and earns a few cuts by underestimating his enemy. I imprint on my mind that I have to learn the 'Heal other' spell.<p>

It's not until the cavern with the spiders when I have to take part in the fight. Raegan nearly drops his sword when he sees the enormous spiders. "By the Divines..."

"For Talos' sake, don't say you're afraid of spiders!" I yell as I focus again on summoning the electricity in my hands. Luckily I'm one of those few people who aren't afraid of spiders. I don't especially like them but I don't have any problems with one or two living in my room either. They eat mosquitoes and that's a good enough reason for not killing them. Of course the tiny spiders in my room have never tried to eat _me_.

I learn to really appreciate Ralof as he runs fearlessly to pierce one of the biggest spiders with his sword before any of them even knows we're there. I manage to grill two or three (and a load of innocent plants near the walls) with small lightnings from my palms. After the last spider has been killed, I have to sit down for a while. It feels like I have thrown away every bit of energy in my body with those lightnings.

"Are you all right?" Ralof asks as he wipes green goo the spiders seem to have instead of blood off his sword.

"Yeah, just a little drained." So this is what it feels like to be run out of Magicka. I'm shivering and my hands are shaking. "Though I have to admit that it was fun."

Ralof flashes me a smile. "I knew there was a warrior in you, girl."

I return the smile. "I doubt that but thanks anyway."

Raegan finally ventures to step out of the corridor he's been hiding in. He looks so embarrassed that even though I'd really like to tease him a little about his arachnophobia, I keep my mouth shut. Instead I glance at the squashed spiders laying at our feet. I know I could earn a fortune by selling their venom but I don't have any idea how to get it from them, not to mention that I don't even have any empty bottles to keep the venom in. I sigh as I follow Ralof and Raegan out of the cavern and leave the fortune behind.

After sneaking past a resting bear we finally find a large crevice in the rock to exit the cave. I haven't felt anything so lovely for a while than the wind on my face as I squeeze myself past the stones.

"Get down!" Ralof hisses. We all duck as the dragon flies over us and quickly disappears into the mist over the mountains.

"Where are you heading now, Ralof?" I ask as we start walking down the road.

"I think I'm going to Riverwood. My sister runs a mill there", Ralof says.

"Would you mind if we tagged along?" I ask. Raegan frowns at me, probably because he doesn't want to seem like he's following me, but doesn't say anything.

Ralof shakes his head. "Of course not. If we keep up a steady pace, we'll be there in a couple of hours."

A couple of hours? This is going to be a long journey. I sigh as Ralof starts jogging along the road.

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><p>A couple of hours, my ass. It's been at least five hours when we finally arrive in Riverwood. Or at least it feels like five hours. My sides are hurting, my feet are cramping and my toes must be bleeding. I would've asked the two men to stop more often but I didn't want to be that whiny kid in the backseat, asking every fifth minute "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?". I just hope it didn't cost me my toes.<p>

We came across the basic Ritual Stones and Ralof mentioned that it'd be useful to receive a blessing. Raegan of course chose the Warrior Stone and I ended up having my ability to learn magic increased by the Mage Stone. I've decided to invest in magic and leave swords to Raegan. Maybe one day I'll get to Winterhold to learn some more about throwing lightnings.

Ralof takes us to his sister Gerdur who's just as sweet as in the game but – I have to say this – I still can barely stand her accent. However, after hearing what happened in Helgen Gerdur offers us food, potions, herbs, whatever we might need. I gladly accept several healing and Magicka potions and stuff them in Gerdur's old backpack she insists me to take.

"There's just one problem", Gerdur says apologetically later in the evening as she hands us bowls filled with delicious-looking stew. "We don't have enough beds for you all."

"It's okay, Gerdur", I say quickly. I've already thought of this. "I have enough money so I and Raegan can stay at the inn."

Raegan shots me an irritated look. It's clear that he doesn't want me to take care of him but what choice does he have? I don't think he has any money and he didn't even pick up anything to sell from the Helgen Keep.

Gerdur's expression changes from worried to relieved. "Oh, good."

"Indeed", I admit. After eating dinner I and Raegan head to the Sleeping Giant Inn. I'm about to approach the innkeeper to rent a room when Raegan grabs my forearm.

"I hope you understand that I don't want to sleep next to you."

"Well, you'll have to rent your own room, then", I say sharply.

"You owe me for saving your hide. Several times." Raegan is getting more and more annoyed by every word I say. In some twisted way I'm actually enjoying it but I also have to admit that he's right. Without him and Ralof I would've been killed or charred or eaten alive.

"Fine", I hiss before turning to the innkeeper and plastering a pleasant smile on my face. "Hi! I'd like to rent two rooms."

The innkeeper, young Nord man, raises his eyebrows. "Two?"

"Yes. Is this enough?" I carefully count twenty septims and pass them to him. The innkeeper nods and flashes us a small smile.

"The two rooms on your right. Sleep well!"

"We will, thank you." As soon as we turn our backs to the innkeeper, I let my smile fade. I'm so tired I could sleep a week and even that wouldn't be enough.

"G'night", I mutter to Raegan who only grunts me back. Fine, be annoying, I think as I step into my small but cozy room and close the door behind me. I wait a moment to be sure that nobody stumbles in before taking off my smelly Mage robe and boots. You can't be too careful. I slip between the rough sheets, blow out the candle on the nightstand and close my eyes. Then I open them again. There are too many thoughts in my head.

I lay in my bed a long time, staring at the ceiling and thinking of who this new Skyrim me, Eryka, is. Finally I fall asleep, sure that I've thought of everything.

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><p>I wake up with a start. It takes a few seconds before I remember where I am. I have no idea what time it is, but after thinking a while I decide that it doesn't really matter. I get up, dress in my robe and boots and step out of my room. The door to Raegan's room seems to be closed so I assume that he's still sleeping.<p>

"Mornin'", I greet the innkeeper. "Any chances to get some breakfast?"

After buying some bread and milk I sit down by the fire pit and start eating, constantly glancing at Raegan's room. I reckon that it's about eleven o'clock and wonder why I can't hear anything from behind the door. He can't be still asleep, can he?

"Waiting for your friend, are you?" the innkeeper asks. He leans on the counter and looks bored to death. I nod.

"Well, you'll be waiting a while. He left at the dawn."

"What?" I nearly scream. Panic threatens to take over me but I force myself to stay calm. "Did he say where he was going?"

The innkeeper shrugs. "Mentioned getting something from the Barrow."

I let my forehead hit the table. _Crap._


	4. Something To Worry About

Hi again, lovelies!

First, thank you thank you thank you for all the brilliant reviews this story has got! I couldn't be more flattered. You guys rock my socks!

Another thing that needs to be said: This is not a self-insert : D. Well, Eryka does remind me more than my other characters but she's still different enough, well, not to be me. For example, I can use bow and arrows quite well - took an archery class a few years back and can still handle them. However, I thought that making Eryka completely helpless with any kind of weapons would be more fun : D . So this is self-insertish story, if that makes any sense. We'll see how that works out.

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><p>I'm not that type of person who can just sit down and wait for Raegan to come back. I leave the inn and go visit Riverwood Trader to check if he really went to fetch the golden dragon claw thingy.<p>

"Yes, the young man who visited us yesterday promised to get my Golden Claw back", the merchant says proudly when I ask him if he knows where my friend is. I thank him even though I'm not sure if I'm thankful for the information. Without nothing better to do I spend what little money I have on Spell Tomes.

I spent the rest of my day sitting on the dock by the river, studying the Spell Tomes (if opening them and watching them crumble can be called studying) and waiting for Raegan to return. I did consider going after him but abandoned that plan: I'd be dead in minutes if I left Riverwood by myself. Even if I did make it to the Barrow, the traps, Draugr and whatever bandits there were left would surely slice me into nice little pieces.

"You shouldn't worry about him", Ralof says as he joins me and passes me a piece of bread which is still warm.

"I know." I sigh before sinking my teeth into the bread. I can't help worrying about Raegan. Sure he is annoying but I've realized that the only way I'm going to stay alive here is to follow him until I manage to get enough money to get me a place to live in. I also have to figure out where is the safest place to live. Not Whiterun, that's the place where the first big Stormcloaks versus the Imperials fight takes place. Not Windhelm, there's that lunatic butchering women (believe me, I'd love to catch him but I can't remember who he is). In Riften I'd only get myself robbed, Markarth is swarming with those Forsworn and in Winterhold that College questline would probably just get me killed in some magical way.

"Woah, girl, take it easy with those sparks!"

I look at my hands surprised. I've been snapping my fingers absently and haven't noticed the little sparks flying off of them. There are several scorches on my robe and I can smell burnt fabric.

"Woops." I flash an apologetic smile at Ralof. During the day I've learned also the Heal Other Spell and Lesser Ward but obviously my hands are more eager to create sparks than to form a ward. I'm still not quite sure about how use magic or how to switch these spells. Do I only have to focus on other spell, snap my fingers, say a magic word or what?

"Ralof?" I clench my fists to prevent the sparks. "Is there anyone here who could teach me how to use magic?"

Ralof chuckles. "To me it seems you can use it quite effectively already."

"I'm serious!" Though I'm not so sure if it looks like that since I'm laughing, too. "I need to be able to control all this. Don't want to end up blowing up anything."

Ralof considers for a moment. "I think there's a mage in Whiterun. That Jarl's courtmage or whatever they're called. I'm sure he'd help you out."

"Great, thanks", I exclaim. Luckily Raegan will also be heading to Whiterun in a few days. I heard Gerdur ask him if we could deliver a message to the Jarl of Whiterun. Something about sending more soldiers to defend Riverwood in case a random dragon decides to attack the village. Raegan the Gentleman immediately promised to help. I think he has a soft spot for damsels in distress. For example, he treated me really nicely back in Helgen when I was on the verge of tears and panicking but when he realized he won't be getting rid of me anytime soon, I turned annoying.

"Uncle Ralof! Uncle Ralof!"

Both Ralof and I turn our heads to see Frodnar, Ralof's nephew, running towards us. His grey dog is right to his heels, barking as he goes. He probably thinks they're playing something.

"What is it, Frodnar?" Ralof asks with a hint of concern in his voice.

"That friend of yours", Frodnar points at me, "he's back."

"Really?" I stand up, feeling strangely relieved. "Is he alright?"

"I don't know." Frodnar glances at his uncle nervously. "I don't think so."

Ralof and I hurry quickly to the bridge only to see Raegan limping slowly towards the town. When we get closer, I see that he's covered in that green spider goo we got really familiar with when we escaped Helgen. There's also some sort of makeshift bandage covering his right thigh and he looks ready to collapse right where he's standing.

"Carefully!" Ralof lifts Raegan's left arm over his shoulders and motions me to support him from the other side. "We got you."

"Right. We got you", I repeat awkwardly as we start dragging Raegan who can barely walk towards Gergur's house.

* * *

><p>"He just needs rest, that's all", Gerdur tells me. I nod and return my gaze to Raegan who's finally asleep. I didn't trust my Healing Spell enough to heal Raegan's injuries myself so Gerdur used her potions to heal his thigh which had been pierced by an arrow and a spider bite in his left shoulder.<p>

_Luckily he didn't take the arrow in the knee_, I think and can't help smiling a little. What a dumb overused joke and still it amuses me.

Now that Raegan's asleep, I finally get to have a closer look of him. I don't know why but I don't like looking people I don't know in the eyes. That's probably the reason why it's so hard for me to remember faces.

Raegan looks like a typical Nord with his strong jaw and straight nose. I've always thought myself as pale but a quick comparison between our arms reveals that Raegan is even paler than I am. There's still a slight hint of green in his skin from being poisoned by one of those damned spiders. His hair is sandy blond as is his beard which actually looks more like an overgrown stubble. There's about an inch-long scar right below his lips. I wonder how he got it.

Suddenly Raegan stirs in his sleep. I startle and quickly look away as if I was about to get caught doing something embarrassing. I surely don't want him to wake up only to see me staring at him as if I was going to eat him. However, after a few seconds he only exhales deeply and shifts in his sleep. I let out a relieved sigh.

"You will stay the night at the inn, yes?" Gerdur says quietly from behind me. I startle again. Goddammit, do they really have to be scaring me all the time? I'm going to be a complete basket case in a few days if people keep doing that!

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

><p>I return to the inn, close the door tightly behind me, strip off my robe and boots and fall onto the bed. Images of Raegan's injuries – a piece of arrow sticking out of his thigh and a nasty greenish spider bite under a thick layer of Frostbite poison – float back and forth inside my head. I blow out the candle and close my eyes but it only makes the images clearer.<p>

Fine, no good night sleep for tonight either.

This evening made me realize that being here is not a dream. Well, of course that moment when the innkeeper pointed me to the bedpan under my bed after I had asked where the restroom was proved that I'm not in a role-play of some sort, but now I finally realize that I am really here and, unfortunately, can really die here. I managed to escape Helgen, yes, but there are deadly things outside Helgen, too, and I'm not talking about only dragons. With my fighting skills even a lone wolf or a random bandit can kill me without any effort, not to mention bears, sabre cats, giants...

_It's going to be okay_, I tell myself. _Stop being a wuss and sleep!  
><em>

I wish it was that easy.


	5. Two Steps Forward

Sorry, it took a while longer to update than I expected S: . I'm trying to update once a week or so. If it weren't for school, the math test I have on Thursday (and I've still not studied! Yikes!) and some project I should be working on, I'd be updating once a day : D. Anyways, I hope you are still enjoying my story. After this chapter we'll be getting to the action and maybe, spoiler spoiler, see a dragon in two or three chapters (8. Feed me comments, I'd rather not to die of starvation.

Disclaimer: Eryka and Raegan are mine, everything else... not mine. That's right, everything else belongs to Bethesda.

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><p>I wake up late and lay for a while in bed enjoying the fact that I don't need to go anywhere. When I have to go to school on weekdays and work on weekends, there are hardly any mornings when I don't need to wake up early to go somewhere. After twenty minutes or so I get up and dress in my robes.<p>

Ew. I frown, sniff my armpit and grimace. Eeeww. I really need to wash these robes. Maybe get some new ones, too. After all, I did snatch these robes from a dead guy.

After having breakfast I decide to drop by at Gerdur's to see how Raegan's doing and then go to Riverwood Trader to see if they sell something to wear. A drowsy Ralof lets me in and invites me to have breakfast with him.

"Thanks, but I already ate at the inn", I say as I observe the table covered with bowls and jugs.

Ralof shrugs. "Your loss." He starts shoveling delicious-looking porridge into his mouth. I consider having the second breakfast in the style of hobbits but abandon the thought. I'm really not hungry anymore.

"So how's Raegan?" I ask as I sit on the bench opposite of Ralof.

"Quite fine, I think", Ralof says between mouthfuls of porridge. "Gerdur says he'll be as good as new in a few days. He's still asleep, though." Suddenly Ralof chuckles.

"What?" I ask curiously.

"Did you know that he talks in his sleep?" Ralof grins.

"No, I didn't." How on Earth would I have known that? I've known Raegan for, like, three days! "What's he said, then?"

Ralof smile turns cunning. "Quite a lot, actually. Let me think." He looks at the ceiling, obviously trying to remember everything. "He doesn't like spiders, he wants his beer cold and women beautiful, he's not anyone's damn concubine and you will be dead if you touch his sword."

I lean onto the table and laugh so hard that my sides start to hurt.

"He's more talkative when he's asleep", Ralof chuckles.

"I wish I had been here to hear all of it myself", I snicker. "When you said 'you', did you mean that he said my name or did just 'you' in general?"

"No, he actually said your name", Ralof assures before starting to laugh again. "At first he said it like a man says his mistress's name. I was about to press my hands on my ears, not wanting to, you know, listen to anything... awkward, when he suddenly yelled that 'Eryka will bedead if she touches my sword!'"

"No way!" I try to hide my embarrassment by covering my mouth with my hands and giggling. Even trying to imagine what Raegan saying my name in that way makes me feel kind of uneasy. I admit, I have thought of him in _that_ way: he's quite handsome but his nature still leaves a lot to be desired. Even if I did find him attractive, it would still be a lot easier to ignore my feelings. Love just makes everything complicated.

I notice that Ralof is looking at me with a little too knowing smile for my liking. "What?"

"Nothing." He downs a mugful of mead and gets up. "I better go to see if Gerdur and Hod need any help with the mill."

"You think they might need my help as well?" I ask, ashamed that I haven't thought of offering my help before.

"No, I think they're just fine." Ralof pats my shoulder. "But you could take that Golden Claw back to Lucan. I bet he'll reward you."

I nod eagerly. "Yeah, I better do that."

I quickly rummage through Raegan's backpack and find the Claw. It's beautifully made, obviously solid gold and surprisingly heavy. How could Raegan carry this by himself all the way from the Barrow, especially when he was hurt? Okay, maybe I'm just a feeble woman who's never lifted anything heavier than a game console. I stuff the Claw into my own backpack and leave for Riverwood Trader.

"Good morning, miss", the merchant, Lucan, greets me cheerfully. "What can I do for you today?"

"Take a look at this." I yank the Golden Claw out of my backpack. "Tah dah!"

"My Claw! You have it!" Lucan exclaims looking like a ten-year-old boy who gets his long-lost toy back. He laughs as I pass him the Claw and watch him set it in the middle of the counter. "Strange... It seems smaller than I remembered..."

"Things we think of a lot tend to grow in our thoughts", I say simply.

Lucan looks at me and cocks his head. "You may be right." He turns his gaze back to the Claw, furrowing a little. "What happened to that young man who was to fetch the Claw? Your friend, right?"

I consider my words for a fer seconds. "He... run into some trouble along the way."

Lucan looks nervous. "He's not, you know... dead, is he?"

"Oh, no, he's fine", I tell him quickly. "Nothing what a few potions wouldn't fix. He'll be perfectly fine in a couple of days."

Lucan lets out a relieved laugh. "That's good, that's good. Anyway, I suppose you want a reward..." He throws a coin purse onto the counter. I can hear the septims chinking against each other. "Some coin from my last shipment. 200 septims, to be exact. Tell your friend I'm forever grateful."

"I will", I assure him as I slip the coin purse into my backpack.

I spend my last ten septims on a blue dress. I figure that I need some other clothes than just my robes. The neckline of my new dress is a little bigger than what I'm used to but I like the color and the way the dresses generally make me feel more like a woman.

"Good choice", Lucan's sister, Camilla, says as I drop ten septims on the counter and shove carefully folded dress into my backpack.

"Thanks", I say and turn to look at her. It still amazes me how... real everything looks. Surely the graphics are great but seeing everything as, well, real is truly amazing. People aren't just pixels anymore but flesh and blood which of course makes them look slightly different than in the game. I hope I don't get into any trouble because I don't recognize people I should.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?" Camilla asks almost shyly.

"Yeah, sure." I look at her curiously.

"Could you tell that friend of yours that I'm making sweetrolls tomorrow so if he wants to drop by..."

"Nah, I don't think so", I cut her off. Suddenly she seems annoying. "You see, we're leaving for Whiterun really soon. Important business."

"Oh." Camilla looks disappointed. "Well, some other time, then."

I feel immediately bad for being so rude. "Maybe you could invite Faendal or Sven? I hear they both fancy you."

Camilla's face lits up. "Really?"

"Yup." But I still don't want to get stuck here to talk about boys and relationships. "Anyway, I have to go. Bye!"

I hurry out of the store before Camilla can ask more about her admirers. Let them solve their love triangle by themselves.

* * *

><p>I go to the inn to change. As soon as I take off my robes, a strange feeling of emptiness runs through me. I frown deeply and start folding the robes. What was that feeling all about? Suddenly I get it: The robes were enchanted! Now I've lost the magic touch they gave me. I try to form lightnings in my palms but can only create tiny sparks. Even though I suck when it comes to using magic, I feel kind of defenseless without it.<p>

After changing into my new dress I gather what little I own in this world into my backpack and give my room's key to the innkeeper. I've now officially run out of money and even though there is a fat coin purse in my backpack, I don't plan to keep it myself. I'm not yet corrupted enough to steal but I have to admit that I have considered trying to get into Thieves Guild. Might be fun.

I pull my hair into a ponytail as I walk towards Gerdur's house. A loud whistle from behind me makes me turn around and see a smiling Ralof.

"The dress suits you, girl!" he grins.

"Thanks. Figured I could use some other clothes than those robes", I explain with a chuckle.

Ralof nods. "Are you going to see Raegan?"

"Yeah. Is he already awake?"

"Well, he was awake when I dropped by two minutes ago to grab some mead. Chopping wood makes me thirsty." Ralof winks and laughs. "You should go show yourself to him now that you look like a lady."

"I will, thank you very much." I flash him a wide smile. As soon as I turn my back to him, my smile fades. What did he mean by that comment? Is Ralof trying to pander us or something? The man should just focus on chopping wood.

I open the door and slip in, knocking the door frame with my knuckles to let people in the house know that I'm here.

"Mornin'", grunts a hoarse voice in my left. I turn to see Raegan sitting on the bench next to the table and chewing a piece of bread.

"Afternoon", I correct him. "How're you doing?"

"Better than yesterday", Raegan answers curtly. He does look better than yesterday: He's not so pale anymore and his eyes are brighter but I can see bright red scar in his left shoulder where the spider bit him. Raegan notices that I'm looking and pulls his loose tunic over the scar. Then he looks at me challengingly and seems to realize I'm wearing a dress instead of my robes. I'm amused to see that he has to struggle a little to keep his eyes on my face.

"You've gotten new clothes, I see", he finally growls, returning his gaze to his bread.

"The robes smelled."

He grunts again. What a lovely way to communicate.

"So, mr. Sunshine", I snap as I sit next to him and snatch a small apple from the bowl, "did you find anything interesting in the Barrow?"

"Draugr, bandits and giant spiders." I could swear Raegan shivers a little at the last word. "And I found the Claw."

"I returned it, just so you know." I throw the coin purse onto the table in front of him. "Lucan wants you to have this."

Raegan's face lits up and he picks up the coin purse. "How much exactly?"

"200 septims." Now comes the hard part. "Was there anything... unusual?"

Raegan looks at me weirdly before shaking his head."No."

"Nothing?" No word wall? No cool energy-streaming-towards-you effects? No learning weird words?

"Well, there was a Draugr Overlord in the last chamber. The bastard kept swaying me with some magic and was really hard to take down. And then..." Raegan seems to hesitate a little.

"Then?" I pressure him. He _must_ be the Dragonborn. Say it! Say that energy floated through you and a strange word appeared in your brain!

"Then I couldn't even find any good loot so I took everything that pile of bones had in his coffin." Raegan looks really pissed as if the Draugr had possessed nothing cool just to make him angry. I'm convinced that he's hiding something: His eyes are glued to the bread he's holding and his words sound like he's trying to distract me from asking. Besides, there wasn't anyone else in Helgen who could be the Dragonborn. Just the Stormcloaks... and me. But I can't be the Dragonborn. I _can't_.

"Can I see them?" I try to keep my voice normal. Oh gods, I hope he took the Dragonstone, I really don't want to go up there to get it for Whiterun's court wizard.

Raegan grabs his backpack from under the table and turns it upside down above the table. A load of what seems to be pretty useless crap falls on top of Raegan's breakfast.

"Linen rolls?" I pick up one of the useless bundles.

Raegan shrugs. "I told you that I took everything."

I move aside three linen rolls and start searching for the stone. It has to be here. I bury my hands under something made of greyish-blue fabric and finally find the Dragonstone. I let out a shaky laugh, earning a funny look from Raegan.

"Oh, these are worth a fortune if you find the right people to sell these to", I lie quickly. Lying is one of those few things I've always been good at, although maybe not one to be proud of. I'm afraid that Raegan might ask why it looked like I was searching for exactly this item but he just nods.

"I happened to pick up something you might be interested in", Raegan says with the slightest hint of smile.

"Really?" I'm honestly so surprised that for a moment I forget I should keep asking him about that word wall.

"Thought you might like it." He picks up the item made of blue fabric and drops it onto my lap. I realize it's a brand new robe. It smells a little moldy but I can tell it's never been worn. A brand new piece of clothing feels entirely different than a worn one.

"I... Thank you, Raegan." I smile at him. Maybe he's not really an ass after all.

* * *

><p>We set off at the dusk. Gerdur examined the robes Raegan found and told me that they're probably novice robes of Conjuration. Since I don't know any Conjuration spells yet, they're not much use to me but I'm still glad to have my magic touch back. I packed my few belongings (my dress, my previous robes, a loaf of bread and four healing potions) in my backpack and took off with Raegan.<p>

As we walk, I start to worry about Raegan. He's still limping a little from that arrow wound and seems very tired. Maybe he should have rested a few days more.

"Are you sure you're all right?" I ask him for what must be the hundredth time.

"Yes, I'm sure", Raegan snarls. He's back to his "I hate everything" -mood and can't even bother trying to walk silently as we walk along the road.

"Couldn't you even try not to step on every dry branch on the way?" I hiss after a while. I'm worried the noises will attract wolves or bears or sabre cats or mammoths or dragons...

"I'm not especially trying to step on every one of them", Raegan retorts wearily. In the light of my torch I get a glimpse of his face and am startled by the fact how tired and pale he looks.

"Let's make a camp", I suggest. "You need rest. We need rest", I correct hastily when Raegan turns to scowl at me. If I should name one thing I've learned about Raegan, it would be that he's very proud and not to be offended. Seriously, I'd rather kiss a Hagraven than imply that Raegan is weak.

We make a small camp next to a large boulder just by the road. I pierce my bread loaf with a stick and start grilling it above the little fire we managed to make. Raegan is sitting opposite me, eyes only half-open. I think that even though he tried to look strong, he is really very tired.

"Should one of us stand guard?" I ask. "You know, in case anything happens..."

Raegan shakes his head like a dog, obviously to prevent himself from falling asleep in the middle of my sentence. "Uh, yes, it would be good."

He looks so tired that even though I could use some rest, I tell him to go to sleep. "I'll wake you up when I can no longer keep my eyes open."

Raegan lies down on his bedroll and is fast asleep in mere moments. I lean onto the boulder and start munching my bread. This will be a long night.


	6. Bicker, Bicker

Hi again! Phew, these chapters are getting longer and longer o.o . I don't mind, though. Hopefully you don't either. I kept this chapter myself a few days longer than needed, mainly because I wasn't sure if I had gotten some words and expressions right. Speaking of which, remember that if you notice any mistakes, grammar fails, anything, feel free to tell me and I'll fix 'em! Oh and by the way, in this chapter we'll have the first real glimpse of Eryka's Finnish roots. I'll have the sentence translated in the end of this chapter. Tell me what do you think of slipping short Finnish words and sentences into this fic!

Thanks to everyone who's left lovely encouraging comments, they never fail to make my day!

Disclaimer: Raegan and Eryka are mine, everything else is Bethesda's.

* * *

><p>After both of us have had a decent sleep of four hours, we pack up and continue our journey to Whiterun. Raegan is clearly better now even though he seems to be still in a bad mood. It seems that neither of us is one of those "rise and shine" people and the first hour passes silently.<p>

Raegan is the one to speak the first words since "time to wake up" he shook me awake with. "We should be quite close to Whiterun now."

"Good", I huff. We've stepped off the road and are jogging downhill. According to Raegan it's the fastest way to get to Whiterun. There are no handy arrows hanging above important places or people so I have no choice but to trust him.

After fifteen minutes of walking we finally get a glimpse of Pelagia farm and – I quickly pull Raegan behind the nearest tree – a giant roaming its vegetable garden.

"What is it?" Raegan asks irritatedly. I can't believe he missed the large gray-skinned creature sitting next to the mill and popping carrots into his mouth.

"There's a giant!" I hiss. "Didn't you see him?"

"A giant? Really?" Raegan's expression turns from annoyed to excited. He would probably make a run for the giant and a heroic death if I wasn't holding his arm so tightly.

"You're not thinking you could take him down alone, are you?" I ask even though I know what he's going to answer.

"What do you know about it?" he retorts me back.

"Let's just stay here for now and figure out how we're going to get past him", I decide for both of us, ignoring his question. I know nothing about taking down a giant. Even in the game I haven't killed many and there are no boulders to climb on so we could shoot the giant without him being able to reach us.

More importantly, where are the Companions? Aren't they supposed to be here to kill the giant when the Dragonborn comes to Whiterun for the first time? I scan the landscape and quickly notice three small figures sneaking towards the giant.

"Look!" I nudge Raegan and point at the Companions. The giant is so focused on feasting on the poor farmer's cabbages that he doesn't notice the three before one of them lets out a loud battlecry and slashes giant's shoulder with his greatsword. The giant roars in pain, staggers up and slogs the attacker, broad-shouldered man, out of his way. The redheaded woman starts sending arrows flying towards giant's eyes while the brunette chick hurries to check if the man is alright.

"Let's go!" Raegan yells and charges towards the giant with his sword drawn before I have time to grab his sleeve and stop him.

"_Voi saatanansaatana_", I curse, slipping in my mother language when I realize that I have to take part in the fight. There's no chance I would sit behind this tree, cowering while the others take care of the creature. I had enough of cowering when we escaped Helgen. I raise my hands and with some concentration feel the familiar sparkles crackle at my fingers. After inhaling deeply and reminding myself of how stupid this is I run after Raegan and towards my potential end.

By the time I get close enough, Raegan is already being an active part of the fight. The giant is roaring and stomping around, trying to sweep away the annoying people who are constantly poking and cutting him with their swords. Just when the giant raises his fist to smack Raegan, I send a blue lightning at him. The giant yelps in agony and I can see a nasty burn forming in his chest. Raegan takes a chance and leaps at the giant's feet. If the giant only lifted his right foot, he could step on Raegan within seconds but luckily he's busy roaring and shaking his fists at me. Raegan slashes the giant's hams and sends him crashing to the ground. The broad-shouldered man with dark warpaint takes care of the rest, driving his sword right through the giant's back before he has time to get up again.

I release my breath and lower my hands. The adrenaline rush is gone and I notice my hands are shaking. Raegan lowers his sword and wipes his forehead.

"You alright?" I ask him.

"Yeah." Raegan takes a few seconds to catch his breath before continuing: "You?"

"Not a scratch." I'm glad he asked, though. I've been afraid of the possibility that he couldn't give a damn if I died. After all, it's going to be a lot easier to follow him around if he cares about me even a little.

"Hey, you two!" I turn around to see the redheaded woman walking towards us. She can't be anyone else than Aela and even though I know she's nice, I still feel like backing a few steps: Aela looks like she's still in the middle of a battle, her shoulders tense and her brow in a slight frown.

"Yeah?" I pipe in a little more high-pitched voice than I intended.

Aela's frown disappears and she flashes us a smile. "Good fighting, there. Your first time taking down a giant?"

Raegan nods proudly.

"You both were brave. We could use warriors like you." Aela scans us with her bright eyes, a small pleased smile lingering on her lips. I think she's talking about Raegan or then she's just plain mad for thinking that I could be of use to the Companions.

"What do you exactly mean by 'we'?" Raegan asks.

"I trust you've heard of the Companions", Aela says with a proud smile. Raegan's smile widens and he nods eagerly.

I decide to play partly ignorant. "Oh yeah, you're that group of warriors, right? The ones who reside in a house of which roof is made of a boat."

"That would be us, yes", says a new voice and a tall man who can't be anyone else than Farkas strides to us. In the game I never realized how tall Farkas is. Seriously, I thought Raegan was tall but Farkas must be at least two or three inches taller than him. "You interested in joining us?"

"Yes", Raegan says immediately. I merely shrug.

"Then you should head to Jorrvaskr and talk to Kodlak Whitemane, our Harbinger. He can tell if you're a worthy fighter", Aela explains. Raegan straightens his back, obviously eager to prove his worth.

"We'll be sure to do that after we have talked to the Jarl", I say as Ria walks to us a fat coin purse in her hand. I guess she just visited the farmer whose little problem we just killed.

"Severio was very grateful to say the least. We heading home?" she asks, eyeing us curiously.

"Do you mind if we tag along?" I ask quickly. "I'd love to hear more about the Companions."

Aela quickly exchanges a look with Farkas before nodding. "Sure, why not."

"Great!" I exclaim. "Oh and by the way, my name is Eryka and this is Raegan."

"I'm Aela and these are Farkas and Ria."

"Pleasure to meet you all", Raegan adds.

We start our walk towards Whiterun. I keep asking questions about the Companions: what exactly are they doing for living, what's Jorrvaskr like, what does it mean to be a Companion... Now that there are no limits known as default questions, I want to know everything about everything. All three Companions look rather pleased with their two new admirers and possible soon-to-be-Shield Brother and Sister and Raegan simply looks like every step is taking him closer to his dream.

* * *

><p>"That wasn't too hard", I whisper to Raegan as we step in the court wizard's room. Everything went pretty much as in the game: We told Jarl Balgruuf that Riverwood needs help, he promised to send there more soldiers, rewarded us with light armor – a hide armor for me and a studded armor for Raegan – and sent us to his court wizard Farengar.<p>

"So you're the ones who are supposed to help me with my... project?" Farengar says, looking at us as if he doesn't believe we're going to be much help.

"That's what we were told to do." I fold my arms over my chest, trying to decide whether I like this man or not.

Farengar starts babbling about looking for items that may or may not be where he believes them to be. After listening him for a while I cut him off. "So what're we supposed to fetch and from where?"

"Straight to the point, hmm?" Farengar chuckles. "I'm going to put it bluntly: The Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow."

I fake astonishment. "Do you mean this old rock my friend here found a while back?"

I usher Raegan to give the Dragonstone to Farengar who immediately turns friendlier. He thanks us and points us to the Jarl for our reward. I know it'd be fair to let Raegan keep the reward since he's the one who went to the Barrow and back to get the Stone in the first place but without me he would probably have thrown it away.

"Pardon me, sir, but could I ask you a favor?" I ask politely.

"Of course. What do you need?" Farengar says after a few seconds as if he was pondering whether he wants to do me a favor.

"I, uh... I'm a budding mage and have a lot to learn so I'd really appreciate some training. Nothing too difficult", I add quickly, "just the basics."

Again Farengar considers this for a moment. "I guess I could do that. Come here tomorrow morning and don't be late."

"Thank you, sir." I bow to him. Or should I have curtsied? Did I just make a faux pas? Why is this so difficult?

"Before you go, could you deliver these frost salts to Arcadia at Arcadia's Cauldron?" Farengar asks. I suppose it's the least I can do and accept the tiny satchel Farengar hands to me. The I glance around curiously: Where is Irileth? Isn't she supposed to dash in and tell us there's a dragon at the western watch tower? When nobody appears, I leave Dragonsreach with Raegan wondering if reality can glitch.

* * *

><p>After delivering the frost salts to Arcadia who rewarded me with two healing potions we head to the Bannered Mare to rent ourselves rooms. The inn so really cozy and warm and filled with lively music and murmur. I can already tell I'm going to like it here.<p>

"So, I trust you have enough money to rent your own room", Raegan says smugly. My face falls when I remember that I spent what little I had in Riverwood.

"Let me remind you of the fact that I paid your room back in Riverwood", I snap at him. "You owe me a night in a nice inn."

The innkeeper, Hulda if I recall right, listens to our bickering patiently. To me it looks almost like she's holding back a smile.

"I don't want to spend my night outside so would you please be kind and just do me a favor", I continue trying not to sound desperate.

"Fine, then." Raegan leans on the counter. "Two rooms for the night."

"I'm sorry, but we only have one room left." Hulda smiles apologetically.

"I'm sorry, what?" I can't believe this. I'm so not going to sleep outside and I know that Raegan's not going to give up the room so we're in kind of a standoff here.

"My money makes it my room", Raegan says surely.

"But where do I sleep, then?"I whine.

"Outside, maybe?" Raegan suggests. "I heard the ground is rather warm at this time of year."

"Ha ha, very funny, wiseass."

"Come, come, a true gentleman never lets a lady sleep outside", Hulda says with a smile. I doubt that Raegan's a true gentleman and I'm surely not a lady but I sill nod eagerly.

Finally Raegan gives in and Hulda shows us our room. We both frown at the double bed but accept the room. After having a short and rather fruitless argument over who's going to sleep in bed we end up making a tight roll out of an extra blanket and setting it in the middle of the bed.

"I don't want you to roll over me at night", I tell Raegan as I take my boots off, sit cross-legged on my side of bed and start rummaging through my backpack and sorting out which items to sell and which to keep.

"And I don't want you to snuggle up to me at night", Raegan snaps me back as he kicks his boots off as well and falls on his side of bed.

"What makes you think I'd want to snuggle up with you?" I ask as I move aside a bundle of flowers and herbs I picked up on the way here. I thought I'd earn some money selling them to some alchemist.

"Because you're a woman and in the same bed with an absolutely irresistibly handsome man." Raegan grins at me. I grab the first thing at hand and throw it to Raegan. A dry piece of bread hits his chest before sliding off and falling under the bed.

"I think I'm able to resist you just fine", I say contemptuously but can't help smiling. So Raegan can be both nice and fun when he wants to. If only he'd want to be nice and fun more often. "You don't snore, do you?"

"How am I supposed to know if I snore? I'm asleep, I don't know whether I snore or not!"

"Well, have you ever been punched when you're asleep?" I suggest. "Because I'm going to punch you if you snore. Or smother you with a pillow."

Raegan looks at me in a mocking terror. "Ooh, now I'm scared."

After sorting out my stuff I sneak a peek of the small balcony that seems to be a part of our room. It offers us a nice view over the main hall of the inn. I make a mental note to get some mead and spend an evening examining the tavern from up here. That would be fun.

Raegan steps to the balcony. "I'm heading to Jorsk... Jovra..." He stumbles with the name of the mead hall and falls silent.

"Where, Jorrvaskr?" I ask with an amused smile.

"Yeah, there", Raegan says. I can hear a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"Are you going to join the Companions?" I turn to look at him curiously.

Raegan smiles a little absent-mindedly. "That's what I came here for."

"Oh." I ponder about this new piece of information for a moment. "Well, good luck then, I guess. I'm going to hit the shops and see if I can find anything useful."

* * *

><p>After selling the herbs I've gathered to Arcadia and my old robes and the armor the Jarl gave me to Belethor I head back to the inn, planning to finally have a nice hot bath. Only a word to Hulda and she has someone haul a tub into our room and fill it with steaming water. I swear, the water must've been heated with magic as the bath is ready for me in five minutes. After thanking Hulda and tipping her with a few extra septims I can afford to spare I go to our room, close the door, undress and sink into the tub.<p>

I haven't felt this good in what feels like forever. I scrub my arms and legs and note how dirty I am. A thin layer of ash and dirt covers my skin. The ash is probably from Helgen, though I'm not sure how hygienic the whole Skyrim is. It seems that I have to get used to being dirty.

When I'm finished washing up, I lean back, close my eyes and just relax. The sound of raindrops hitting the roof makes me sleepy.

* * *

><p>I wake up with a start. I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep. The water's gone cold and I hear someone climbing up the stairs. Two things come to my mind at the same time: It can't be anyone else than Raegan and I forgot to lock the door.<p>

I don't have time to even move a muscle before the door opens and a soaking wet Raegan steps in. Luckily the tub is set almost behind the door next to the wall so he doesn't see me right away but if he turned his head left just a little...

"Don't look here!" I cry out and quickly fold my arms over my chest to cover myself. Raegan startles and instinctively looks around. Just my luck. His eyes widen as he sees me and he turns hastily around, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Talos, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't know you were - "

"I'm bathing", I state the obvious as I reach for my towel next to the tub. "Didn't I say 'don't look'?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it", Raegan stutters, hand still on his eyes.

I snort as I wrap the towel around myself. "Yeah, sure. You can take your hand off, I... have my places covered now."

Raegan lowers his hand and I almost laugh out loud at how embarrassed the poor man looks. "For the record, I didn't see anything", he assures awkwardly.

"Well, then it's not a problem", I grin in an attempt to break the ice. Raegan offers me a small smile.

He kindly retreats to the balcony while I change to my dress and after he's changed his soaking clothes into something drier we proceed to downstairs to get some dinner. I try to keep a conversation flowing and eventually Raegan warms up to my questions about his day and starts telling about the Companions. Apparently his worthiness was tested by Vilkas but he's not a full member of the Companions yet.

Even though I'm happy for him, I'm a little worried. What will happen to me if Raegan becomes a full-time Companion?

* * *

><p>AN: Translation to what Eryka said is roughly: "Goddamnit!" .


End file.
